Rangers 2, Kings 1: Lundqvist, New York stay alive, force Game 5

Wednesday

Jun 11, 2014 at 11:18 PMJun 11, 2014 at 11:19 PM

The New York Rangers suddenly have some life in the Stanley Cup Final.

By Ira PodellThe Associated Press

NEW YORK — The New York Rangers suddenly have some life in the Stanley Cup Final.Henrik Lundqvist made 40 saves and Benoit Pouliot and Martin St. Louis each scored as the Rangers managed to keep the Los Angeles Kings at bay in a 2-1 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday night.The Kings lead the series 3-1 and will get their second shot to claim the Cup for the second time in three years Friday night at home.The Kings had champagne at the ready but didn't get the chance to pop the corks. Los Angeles hoped to become the first team since 1998 to complete a sweep in the Final.Twice Los Angeles put the puck on the goal line, but couldn't get it all the way across. The last came with 1:11 left in the game, when the puck skittered past Lundqvist but stalled on the goal line, a matter of inches from tying the game.Pouliot scored 7:25 into the first period and St. Louis added a goal in the second for the Rangers.New York squandered multiple two-goal advantages in losing the first two games in overtime in Los Angeles, but held on this time despite being outshot 15-1 in the third period.The Kings, who went ahead 3-0 on Monday, are trying to become the first team to complete a sweep in the Final since Detroit did it to Washington in 1998.Two nights after Jonathan Quick made 32 saves in a 3-0 victory that put the Kings on the brink of their second title in three years, Pouliot got a puck past him.St. Louis then put in a rebound at the left post 6:27 into the second, giving the Rangers their fifth two-goal lead of the series. But just like in Games 1 and 2, a two-goal deficit sparked the Kings.At the tail end of a Rangers power play, New York defenseman Dan Girardi broke his stick and lost the puck to Kings captain Dustin Brown for a breakaway the other way.Brown made several moves in front of Lundqvist before tucking a forehand inside the right post to make it 2-1 with 11:13 left in the second.The Kings had a chance to get even, but the Rangers killed Dominic Moore's cross-checking penalty late in the period. Jeff Carter then got behind Girardi before being stopped on a breakaway by Lundqvist.Pouliot broke Quick's shutout streak at 123 minutes, 1 second. New York hadn't scored since Derick Brassard's second-period goal in Game 2. Pouliot's fifth goal of the playoffs came 2 seconds after Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell finished serving a high-sticking penalty.John Moore fired a drive from the center of the blue line that Pouliot deflected high with his stick blade into the top right corner behind Quick.The Kings almost tied it at 1-1 with 8:11 left — seconds into a power play — when defenseman Alec Martinez's shot got behind Lundqvist and slid along the red goal line without crossing it. Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman cleared the puck away as Jeff Carter and Marian Gaborik pressured in the crease.Video replay clearly showed that the puck didn't go over the line.Madison Square Garden had a different feel than the festive atmosphere of Game 3 when the Rangers returned home from Los Angeles. There were no t-shirts draped over the seats, and some of the seats in prime-viewing areas were empty. But as the Rangers started to score, the crowd slowly came alive, roaring in approval.

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